VinCanary

Reliability report · 2017 Toyota Highlander · Updated July 2026

The one third-gen year to approach carefully — buy it only with the eight-speed's fix documented.

2017 is the first year of Toyota's eight-speed automatic (the UA80) in the Highlander, and the mechanic community is blunt: the early units had 'a major problem,' from whining and harsh shifts to replacements at a Toyota dealership on nearly new cars. A Toyota dealer bulletin (for the UA80, 2017–2018) traces it to a washer tab not sufficiently bent during assembly, letting an internal nut loosen. Toyota later redesigned the transmission and revised the software, and extended the warranty.

The buy-able version of a 2017 is one where the transmission was already replaced/updated under warranty, or that still carries transmission coverage — plus the same timing-cover oil-leak check every third-gen car needs. Without documentation of the fix, an out-of-warranty UA80 failure is a $6,000–$11,000 event (owners' dealer quotes). If you want a third-gen Highlander without this asterisk, a 2016 (six-speed) or a mid-2018/2019 is the calmer buy.

Evidence: 260 NHTSA complaints · 4 recall campaigns · 6 mechanic & forum sources

Canary status

Squawking

What that means: 260 federal complaints, dominated by the new-for-2017 UA80 eight-speed automatic's whine, harsh shifting, and outright failures. Toyota redesigned the transmission internally and updated its software by mid-2018 and extended the warranty — but 2017 was the trial year, and the timing-cover oil leak rides along on top of it.

CalmChirpingSquawkingFainted

This status assumes the riskiest common powertrain — see the Highlander engine guide.

260

Federal complaints

4

Recalls

$6,000–$11,000

Out-of-warranty UA80 replacement (owners' dealer quotes)

$0

Repair/replacement under warranty or extension

Known issues

Ranked by the cost of ignoring them. Every claim carries its source.

UA80 eight-speed automatic — the trial-year transmission

major

The eight-speed automatic debuted in the 2017 Highlander and had, in the mechanic's words, 'nothing but problems' through early 2018 — a whine on acceleration, harsh shifting, reduced power, and failures rare enough that a Toyota dealership almost never replaces transmissions on cars this new. A Toyota dealer email covering the 2017–2018 UA80 attributes it to a washer tab that was not sufficiently bent during assembly, allowing an internal nut to loosen. Toyota's remedy was a physically revised transmission plus software, and a warranty extension. On a 2017, the whole question is whether that work was done: verify a transmission replacement/update in the service history or confirm remaining transmission coverage by VIN. A high-pitch whine on the test drive that a software reset can't cure is a walk-away sign.

What to check

Pink and cleanServiced. Proceed.

Dark brownDamage underway.

Repair/replacement under warranty or extension

$0

Out-of-warranty UA80 replacement (owners' dealer quotes)

$6,000–$11,000

Sources: NHTSA complaint database, 2017 Highlander (hybrid folded into base) · NHTSA manufacturer communications (UA80 dealer email, fuel-pump settlement, recall documents) · Independent mechanic channel transcripts (Car Care Nut 2014–2019 buying guide)

Front timing-cover oil leak (3.5L V6)major

The 2017 got an updated 3.5-liter V6, but the front timing-cover oil leak carried over — 'notorious,' per the mechanic source, and expensive because the engine must be dropped to reseal it ($2,000–$4,000 out of warranty, mechanic estimate). Inspect that the timing-cover area is dry before buying; a wet, oil-coated engine is a negotiation or a walk-away. This year also introduced start-stop and a vacuum pump that can knock at idle (a TSB item, not a safety defect).

Sources: NHTSA manufacturer communications (UA80 dealer email, fuel-pump settlement, recall documents) · Independent mechanic channel transcripts (Car Care Nut 2014–2019 buying guide)

$2,000–$4,000

Timing-cover reseal, out of warranty (mechanic estimate)

Low-pressure fuel pump recall — and a settlement programmoderate

The 2017 Highlander is covered by the Denso low-pressure fuel-pump recall (20V-682, an expansion of 20V-012): the in-tank pump can fail and stall the engine. The remedy is a free pump replacement. Separately, a federal court approved a settlement in December 2022 that created a Customer Support Program — a quiet extended-warranty coverage — for certain 2014–2020 vehicles whose fuel pumps were repaired under the recall. Verify the recall shows completed by VIN.

Sources: NHTSA complaint database, 2017 Highlander (hybrid folded into base) · NHTSA manufacturer communications (UA80 dealer email, fuel-pump settlement, recall documents)

$0

Recall pump replacement

Known nuisances: rotors, bulbs, radio, paintminor

As with all third-gen cars: front rotors warp easily under city braking and tend to come back regardless of pad quality; brake-light and fog-light bulbs fail often; the infotainment reboots and drops Bluetooth; and Blizzard Pearl / Super White factory paint can peel (Toyota ran a coverage program for 2008–2018). None are dealbreakers, but they shape the ownership experience.

Sources: NHTSA manufacturer communications (UA80 dealer email, fuel-pump settlement, recall documents) · Independent mechanic channel transcripts (Car Care Nut 2014–2019 buying guide)

2017 to early 2018 they had a major problem — from harsh shifting to whining noises to transmission failure, transmission failure.
6 mechanic & owner sources

Shopping this year?

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Open recalls

Free fixes at any Toyota dealer. Run the VIN — “completed” isn’t always completed.

  1. 20V-682Denso low-pressure fuel pump (2017–2019 Highlander among many models) can fail and stall the engine — expansion of 20V-012. Free pump replacement.open
  2. 17V-520Gulf States Toyota accessory roof-rail crossbar fasteners may be improperly torqued and the rails can detach. Free inspection/re-torque.open
  3. 17V-295Gulf States Toyota spare-tire pressure not set to the label value across many 2017 models. Free inspection/adjustment.open
  4. 18E-107Aftermarket Fujian Wanda replacement windshields (2014–2018 Highlander) have a wire harness water can leak into, risking engine-control-module (ECM) damage and stalling. Applies only if such a windshield was fitted; free.open

Have a specific one in your sights?

The VIN is on the listing. We’ll check this exact car — build, open recalls, and whether the “completed” repairs stayed fixed.

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